Occam

Hello everyone,

My wife's '05 RX330 has come up with some problems, and despite several hours of searching I haven't been able to come up with much. Perhaps some more experienced owners might be able to help out?

(Yes, I did try the search feature, without much success. I might be ignorant of the correct search terms. I have also spent hours with Google.)

The car is a USA import, presumably from Seattle. It went through Vancouver and is now living in Calgary. I don't know if it's still under warranty, and I'm aware that I could take it to the dealership. I just want to know if there are any other options.


1. The "AFS OFF" light is blinking.

Yes, I know there is an AFS switch. No, the AFS switch does not affect the problem.

The headlights do cycle/swivel when the car is started. I don't drive the car enough to see if they're doing so when driving, but I suspect not.

I read in this forum that someone had problems with their rear leveling sensor (or something like that), but I haven't been able to find any more specific information on that. There was mention of water/road salt contaminating this sensor, which is certainly likely given the weather around here.

Seems the "sensor" isn't much more than a potentiometer. I suspect it's a trivial fix, if I can find it, and it's actually the problem.

I also ran across a reference to two sensors in the drivers side wheelwell, but again no specifics. I don't know if these are related to the above-mentioned sensor or not.

Any pointers on where I can start looking?


2. ERROR 4 on the CD changer. Can't eject, or do anything else for that matter. I have tried:

- multiple stops/starts of the vehicle
- pressing and holding most buttons
- removing the radio fuse (I only found one) for 30 minutes

The radio did not lose it's presets after the fuse removal, so either there is a long-term backup battery in there, or it is getting backup power from somewhere else.

I haven't disconnected the battery yet as I'm afraid that the head unit requires a code to reactivate, and I don't know how to discover that information - or if that assumption is even accurate. Does the factory stereo have/need a code?

I read some information on a possible repair for the problem, if I can get the stereo out. Aside from the Englishmen selling removal instructions for $5, are instructions for this available?


3. I would like copies of the Toyota shop manuals, but the TIS won't take a non-USA credit card. (I suspect this is a billing limitation, rather than any malice on the part of Toyota, as many online sites can't verify credit cards not from a USA bank. Still, it's annoying in the extreme.)

Still, I would like to get my hands on them. Is there no other source? Does anyone have a copy I could use? Am I stuck buying paper manuals on eBay for $300?


Thanks in advance for any help.
S.
Obsolete know-it-all

dave2K

I think I can provide at least a little help on these issues. Regarding the stereo, I recently had the battery out of my '04 for a number of hours and I didn't even lose my preset stations. I did not have to enter a code when I reinstalled the battery. Regarding stereo removal, search this forum for "vaistech sli". Lexuslover has a good post that shows the stereo removal with pictures. Regarding shop manuals, I wanted these also so I searched ebay also. I found the paper manuals for around $300, but I also found a posting for around $30. The description read exactly like one for the paper manuals. I definitely thought this was too good to be true, but for $30 I gave it a try. The purchase process took me away from ebay to another site, which raised suspicions even higher. None the less, I proceeded. I ended up getting a DVD that appears to have all the pages from the shop manuals. Not exactly what I wanted, but better than a total scam. ebay must have been alerted to this as I got a message a few weeks after my purchase that the posting was suspicious for fraud and had been removed. I've only used the DVD once, but it did have the pages I was interested in. In any case, I don't think there is another good option besides the $300 purchase of paper copies. However, if you do a few repairs you will have saved enough to pay for the manuals. Good luck.

xfirechief

Hard to tell if the lights swivel while driving but if you are on a dark road & make a turn u can see it for sure. I think that is the greatest thing for us out here in the country.

NeverSatisfied

The CD player needs to be replaced. My IS300's CD player was replaced 3-4 times and the RX330's once. (I'm so glad my IS350 has the iPod aux).

No code is required for the radio/stereo if power is disconnected, unlike Hondas.

mandyfig

Take it in for service, should still be under warranty. Do yourself a big favor, let Lexus fix all these stuff. Are you over the mileage warranty?

Occam

Thanks guys, this is all very useful information!

The warranty expired in November, so that's not an option.

cduluk

Ask if they can fix it under their 'good will' warranty. It's only 2 months over the warranty, they shouldn't give you a problem... Act sincere and they will try to help.

My0gr81

AFS light blinking:
May need to be reset. Battery may have been disconnected or run down at some point and the AFS system needs to be reset. There should be some instructions in the manual. Otherwise, if you can get the codes, that will point you to whatever sensor is trigering the error.

Error 4 on CD Changer:
There may be a warped or a CD with a peeling label stuck in there. You lose nothing by removing the entire unit and seeing if you can remove the stuck CD. If this is not the problem, then you can start shopping for a used head unit, either at the wrecker or from some of the vendors on this forum. There are instructions on this forum already as pointed out by some of the other members.

Shop Manual:
The DVD based manual is good, but tedius when it comes to searching and finding what you need. You can print sections as you need them though. If you don't want to take a chance on eBay, then see if you can b1t t0rr3nt the ISO. I don't advocate piracy, so make sure you buy a legit copy as soon as possible once you have identified the exact version that you need. Most online stores will let you call their customer service number to validate and complete a transaction on foreign CC, as they are obligated to by their vendor agreement with the CC company. Shipping may be another matter, UPS will bend you over the kitchen counter and dry hump you with their brokerage fees, so make sure you get them to ship USPS.

Occam

AFS: The battery was run down once. The AFS light pre-dated this, though, and the battery running down didn't affect it.

Actually, the weak battery didn't seem to reset anything, as the radio presets, seat adjustments, and so forth were all retained. The battery was recharged in situ, so the car never lost all power.

Seems like the car was not smart enough to cut off the interior lights in time to allow starting, so I'm dubious that there was enough voltage left to keep all of the settings intact. Is all of this stuff stored in nonvolatile memory?

Does the car throw a code if only the AFS light is on? Is it through OBDII, or is there another interface?

CD: I think you're probably right. Thanks to the very cool information referred to by dave2k above, I intend to remove the CD changer and try and fix it myself. I just want to wait until it warms up some before I bother (the wife can live without her CDs for a while longer). I found some information that may be helpful in disassembling the unit once I get it out.


Manuals: Electronic copies don't bother me, I had an PDF copy of my DSM shop manual for years to supplement my paper manuals. It depends on if the manuals are well indexed or not - the DSM manuals were great for searching, but many PDFs can't be searched.

I don't see how I can contact Toyota for access to the TIS; it all seems to be done on-line. I doubt they have any kind of customer service, at least not one that caters to individuals (as opposed to Toyota dealers). I'm sure I'll have less trouble with a 'regular' vendor.

Thanks for the tip on UPS, I've run into that little problem before. I'll be sure to watch it.

dynamic

Hello

I'm a newbie also, we bough our 04 RX330 last week and I'm also already searching for aswers.

I got the same issue with the CD player not working shows Error 4. Yesterday I took the CD player apart to see if the previous owner left some bad CD's inside but the disk magazine is empty. The front CD door can not be accessed and no CD can be inserted. This vehicle is out of the warranty since it has 67K miles and I'm afraid to even call the dealer to check the price on a new unit. Is there any recommendation what can be done to fix this unit? Any repair shops? Cheaper replacement of the internal magazine or CD unit mechanism?

Occam

Yes, errors 3 and 4 appear to be fairly common.

I saw a shop that claims to fix them - it's about $350, flat rate, not including shipping (as far as I know). They're called Carstereohelp.com. (I have no experience with them myself, so I'm not recommending them.) You could try a "generic" electronics repair shop, if the estimate rate is cheap enough.

People on the forum say that stock stereos are for sale, but I didn't see any ads for any when I looked.

I'm going to get my wife to plead with the local dealer tomorrow. Women always get a better deal than men. Plus she is a better negotiator than I am anyway.

CDNROCKIES

Ditto. Had ours do the same thing and was replaced under warranty.

Occam

My wife called the local dealer, and it seems they may put the CD changer through under warranty after all.

Unfortunately, I forgot to tell her the AFS switch isn't the problem. So the dealership just told her to flip the switch. Grr.

salimshah

Here is a bit of secret on "Theft deterrent system" ... it needs to be activated and then your stereo will need code after loosing power.

99.99999999% or even more never set the code. See owners manual on how to set the code. Remember to transcribe it in a safe location.

Salim

Occam

Took a while - my wife was too scared to drive in our recent bad weather - but the dealer is saying the car is off warranty.

So the repair estimates are:

1. Over $1000 to repair the AFS system. Unfortunately, I don't know the details yet, as my wife doesn't understand any of the tech gobbledygook. My bet is that a leveling sensor has gotten shot.

2. $700 to repair the CD changer. Needs to be sent to a Pioneer repair shop out in eastern Canada. I have no idea how long this is supposed to take, but it can't be good.

This is insane. $2000 in repairs right after the car goes off warranty?


Is it possible to diagnose the AFS system myself, with a code reader or something?